Today in Politics, Bulletin 198. 9/2/25

… A raspy-voiced Trump appeared by phone for his interview on Scott Jennings’s new podcast, leading many to speculate he had covid. Of course it could be any number of things but he did not sound well. That could also explain his strange post a few days ago about whether the covid vaccines were effective - a subject he hadn’t brought up in a long time.

… Adam Cochran, whose analysis I posted yesterday, had a different take after hearing the clip: “His rough voice and nasal sound are consistent with post-stroke dysarthria! There continues to be compelling evidence that Trump is recovering from a mild stroke over the past week and the White House is covering it up!”

… Trump was asked in the clip about his negotiations with Putin: “I’m very disappointed in President Putin, and we’ll be doing something to help people live.”

… Trump then held a brief press conference in the Oval Office this afternoon to announce that he was moving Space Force Command from CO to AL. No surprise on that one since Sen. Tommy Tuberville has been lobbying for it hard. Trump sounded better in this one, but was no less deranged.

… It was a bit of a surprise that Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) signed on to a letter from the state’s mostly Democratic congressional delegation strongly denouncing the move, but I supposed she didn’t want to be the only one to sell out Colorado again.

… Trump was asked about Russia’s assassination attempt of EU Commissioner Ursula von der Leyden by jamming the GPS navigation system on her plane during a flight to Bulgaria: “They did take away her ability to use a phone. Sometimes that's a good thing. Sometimes that could happen to me, I'd be very happy.”

… Trump was asked by Fox’s Pete Doocy about the viral video posted on social media by us which showed someone throwing a large bag out of a window on upper floor of the WH: “No, that's probably A.I. generated. You can't open the windows, they're all heavily armored and bulletproof.”

… Except a White House spokesperson was recently asked about this and issued a statement that the video was authentic and “it was a contractor doing regular maintenance while the president was gone.”

… EVERYTHING going on with these people all the time is shady. And we never, ever get straight honest answers on anything.

… Getty Images photo of Trump’s hand today:

… Even Fox Business host Stuart Varney was incredulous about Trump’s new crypto grift after it went public yesterday, where his interest is worth $5 billion on paper - more than all his other assets combined: “My goodness me! $5 BILLION? Eye-popping numbers. What it amounts to is crypto-friendly legislation coming from the president, who is in turn cashing in on the crypto phase. Personally. And his family. A clear conflict of interest.”

… This literally is the most corrupt scam any American politician has ever initiated in the history of this country. Nothing else is even close. He is generating nothing of value, investing nothing, and yet will rake in more money on this than he has in his entire life. This deal would not be happening at all if he wasn’t president. And yet, this subject receives almost no coverage from corporate media and Trump is rarely asked about it.

… As with all things Rudy, the NH State Police issued a new statement about the crash that put him in the hospital for two days, and it doesn’t exactly match the version that his team put out initially: “The State Police can confirm that before the crash on I-93 northbound, Giuliani and his driver, Theodore Goodman, were traveling on I-93 southbound when they were flagged down by a woman on the side of the road, just south of Exit 9N, who reported to them she had been involved in a domestic violence incident.”

… “Just after 9 PM, Goodman initially reported the incident to law enforcement, and he and Giuliani remained at the scene until Troopers arrived to investigate. Goodman and Giuliani spoke with the Troopers about what they had witnessed and then left the scene before exiting the interstate at a nearby exit. Minutes later, Goodman and Giuliani got back on I-93, this time headed northbound, when they were struck from behind at mile marker 23.2, almost directly across from the scene of the reported domestic violence incident on the southbound side. Troopers who were already at the initial scene responded immediately and provided aid.”

… “Investigators believe the driver who struck Goodman and Giuliani had no connection to the initial domestic violence incident. At this time, all aspects of the crash remain under investigation, including whether distraction or curiosity of the initial scene was a factor. No charges have been filed. Video captured by Troopers’ dashboard and body-worn cameras is being reviewed as part of the ongoing investigation. No additional details are available at this time. The State Police will release updates as appropriate while the investigation continues.”

… I will continue to follow this as those updates come out. I certainly would like to hear the side of the story from the other driver involved.

… AP: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to DOJ to serve as temporary immigration judges. The military will begin sending groups of 150 attorneys — both military and civilians — to DOJ ‘as soon as practicable’ and the military services should have the first round of people identified by next week.”

… IL Gov JB Pritzker issued scathing remarks in a press conference as Trump prepares to invade Chicago with troops: “We have reason to believe that the Trump admin has already begun staging the Texas National Guard for deployment in IL. I'm aware that the president likes to go on TV and beg me to ask him for troops. I find this extraordinarily strange, as Chicago does not want troops on our streets. I also have experience asking the president for assistance, just to have the rug pulled out from underneath me when execution meets reality, I refuse to play a reality game show with Trump again.”

… “When did we become a country where it's okay for the president to insist on national television that a state should call him to beg for anything, especially something we don't want? Have we truly lost all sense of sanity in this nation that we treat this as normal?”

… “Any rational person who has spent even the most minimal amount of time studying human history has to ask themselves one important question: Once they get the citizens of this nation comfortable with the current atrocities committed under the color of law, what comes next.”

… “I know how Trump thinks because I've been governor during both of his terms. He has surrounded himself with groveling yes men who are too weak to restrain his most violent and unhinged impulses, or who share those impulses. I can’t live in a fantasyland where I pretend Trump is not tearing this country apart for personal greed and power.”

… “Apparently, this is a Trump admin norm, because the last time we saw staged major ICE raids in Chicago, they sent Dr. Phil here to embed with the agents so he could get views and likes for his social media.”

… MSNBC host Joe Scarborough on Trump’s plan to deploy troops to Chicago: “I actually think JB Pritzker should do something radical - I think he should pick up the phone and call the president and say ‘let’s partner up. We would love to figure out how to have a partnership that’s constitutional, and let’s work together to save lives.’”

… Politico: “Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) plan to start the process of forcing a vote on their bill to compel the complete disclosure of Epstein-related documents ‘immediately,’ Massie said. ‘This has not gone away like the speaker had hoped. If anything, now that the DOJ is releasing documents, it’s increasing the momentum.”

… “The GOP dissension over Epstein, as well as internal pressure to hold a vote on cracking down on member stock trading, pose twin threats to Speaker Mike Johnson’s control of the House as the shutdown deadline approaches. Even a minor blowup could threaten Republican unity at a moment where Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune want to present a united GOP front in the escalating funding fight.”

… “Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are pushing the GOP to come to the table to discuss not only government funding, but also the impending lapse of tax credits offered under the Affordable Care Act. The expiration threatens to spike health insurance premiums for millions of low-income Americans unless lawmakers act. Many vulnerable House Republicans are also desperate to extend the insurance subsidies, and bipartisan conversations are underway in the Senate.”

… Massie posted on X: “I am in DC and I will file the discharge petition today, Sept 2nd, at approximately 2pm when Congress officially returns from the August recess. At that point we can begin collecting the 218 signatures necessary to force a vote on binding legislation to release the Epstein files.”

… NBC: “The House just added a bill to floor schedule this week that would direct the House Oversight Committee to ‘continue its ongoing investigation’ into Epstein. This comes as GOP leaders are trying to stave off a discharge petition forcing the release of all the Epstein files.”

… Massie responded: “Speaker Johnson just scheduled this meaningless vote to provide political cover for those members who don’t support our bipartisan legislation to force the release of the Epstein files.”

… Fox host Maria Bartiromo echoed Trump’s claims to Energy Secretary Chris Wright today that solar and wind are not reliable sources of energy because sometimes it’s cloudy and the wind doesn’t blow: "You've got all these projects which are not necessarily projects that you can rely on. I mean, is the wind blowing? Is the sun shining? And yet hundreds of millions of dollars were going at these projects."

… 78 year old Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) announced he will not seek reelection: “Watching the Biden thing really said something about the necessity for generational change in the party, and I think I want to respect that.” He said he hopes that someone younger “can maybe do better, can maybe help us more.”

… Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) challenger Graham Platner gave a speech in front of the biggest crowd of his life last night at an event hosted by Sen. Bernie Sanders in Maine. I was there in the packed arena with over 6,000 people who were very loud, angry, fired up and motivated to vote. My feeling from the crowd was that most were there to hear him for the first time. Platner had several lines that drew big standing ovations:

• “Our taxpayer dollars can build schools and hospitals in America, not bombs to destroy them in Gaza.”

• “No one cares that you pretend to be remorseful as you sell out to lobbyists. Symbolic opposition does not reopen hospitals. Weak condemnations do not bring back Roe V Wade. Maine deserves better than Susan Collins.”

• “I believe that input from working people is far more important than input from someone who simply has money. I believe that we shouldn’t be settling for crumbs while billionaires eat the cookie we baked. I don’t think private equity deserves more time with a senator than someone who works two jobs to get by.”

• “I am not afraid to name the enemy. The enemy is the oligarchy”

… Many Democrats on social media have complained about Platner also criticizing fellow Democrats for taking PAC money from AIPAC and large corporations. I understand the point critics are making about unity, but I think he makes some valid points. I get both sides of the coin - many Dems believe the party and candidates have to take the money to keep up with Republicans to give them a chance to win. I also get Platner’s point that those donations can lead you to compromise your principles and begin to sell out the people who elected you.

… His line about both parties needing to do better did get huge applause, and I don’t think this was strictly a Bernie crowd. It’s rare for people in Maine to be able to attend huge political rallies for their candidates, and I think this turned out Dems from very progressive to moderate. Bottom line - Maine is unique and Platner has the right message for these voters. Maybe not the right one for you, but the right one for the people he needs to get here.

… Real Clear Politics: “Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Greg Steube To Introduce Bill Renaming Department of Defense as ‘Department of War’. A draft of the Lee-Steube legislation reviewed by RCP would restore the old name and update Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s title. If the bill passes, henceforth, he would be designated ‘Secretary of War’.”

… Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti announced today that she is running for the tossup seat in PA currently held by Rep. Rob Bresnahan. She was the first choice for party leaders to unseat the controversial new Republican congressman. She was also being recruited because House Dem internal polling showed her up 45-43 in hypothetical matchup before she even entered the race and started campaigning.

… Cognetti’s launch video was one of the best I’ve ever seen: “Rob Bresnahan was handed the keys to a family fortune at 19. Workers here built that company and Rob sold it to foreign private equity. Rob ran for Congress on a promise to ban stock trades, but this year he’s already made 600 trades. He sold Chinese stocks the week they were tariffed. He bought missile stocks before a war. He bought jet stocks before a big contract. Bought crypto stocks before a crypto bill vote. Said he wouldn’t cut Medicaid - cut it for over 25,000 of our neighbors.”

… “My story is a little different. When our mayor went to prison for corruption, the Democratic machine thought they could put in another crony. So I took on the powerful and ran for mayor as an independent. They called it ‘Paige Against the Machine’. We lowered costs, cleaned up corruption, managed the finances, built cool parks, and slashed the costs of doing business.”

… “Rob isn’t brave enough to hold a single town hall. I’ve done dozens in Trump country. We built a govt for everyone. People here deserve a lot better than a rich kid disrespecting our hard work and proud legacy.”

Reminder there is no Bulletin tomorrow because I have my podcast Uncovered at 4 PM ET with Anthony and my Ask the Editor show with Ben after that. Please submit any questions or topics you would like me to talk about more in the comments below this. Last week we had about a dozen great ones and I have to only choose 5.

Thank you again for subscribing and supporting my work. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.

… CNBC: “Treasury yields jumped on Tues to begin Sept trading as a court decision knocking down most of the Trump admin’s tariffs raised the prospect of the govt having to repay the money already brought in, stretching an already-stressed US fiscal situation. While Trump’s tariffs had initially raised worries about inflation, driving